[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 118 (Tuesday, June 20, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35444-35445]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-9672]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Information Collection Renewal To Be Sent to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction 
Act; OMB Control Number 1018-0012; Declaration for Importation or 
Exportation of Fish or Wildlife

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We (Fish and Wildlife Service) will ask OMB to renew approval 
for our information collection associated with the importation or 
exportation of fish or wildlife. The current OMB control number for 
this information collection is 1018-0012, which expires on December 31, 
2006. We will request that OMB renew approval of this information 
collection for a 3-year term. As required by the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 and as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork 
and respondent burden, we invite the general public and other Federal 
agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this information 
collection.

DATES: You must submit comments on or before August 21, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments to Hope Grey, Information Collection 
Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service, MS 222-ARLSQ, 4401 N. 
Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 (mail); [email protected] (e-mail); 
or (703) 358-2269 (fax).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this information collection request or the related forms, contact 
Hope Grey at one at the addresses above or by telephone at (703) 358-
2482.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OMB regulations at 5 CFR part 1320, which 
implement provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3501 et seq.), require that interested members of the public and 
affected agencies have an opportunity to comment on information 
collection and recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). We may 
not conduct or sponsor and you are not required to respond to a 
collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB 
control number.
    The Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) makes it 
unlawful to import or export fish, wildlife, or plants without filing a 
declaration or report deemed necessary for enforcing the Act or 
upholding the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species 
(CITES) (see 16 U.S.C. 1538(e)). Any business or individual importing 
into or exporting from the United States any fish, wildlife, or 
wildlife product must complete FWS Form 3-177 (Declaration for 
Importation or Exportation of Fish or Wildlife). This form as well as 
FWS Form 3-177a (Continuation Sheet) and instructions for completion 
are available for electronic submission at https://edecs.fws.gov.
    The information that we collect is unique to each wildlife shipment 
and enables us to accurately inspect the contents of the shipment; 
enforce any regulations that pertain to the fish, wildlife, or wildlife 
products contained in the shipment; and maintain records of the 
importation and exportation of these commodities. Additionally, since 
the United States is a member of CITES, we compile much of the 
collected information in an annual report that we forward to the CITES 
Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland. Submission of an annual report on 
the number and types of imports and exports of fish, wildlife, and 
wildlife products is one of our treaty obligations under CITES. We also 
use the information obtained from FWS Form 3-177 as an enforcement tool 
and management aid in monitoring the international wildlife market and 
detecting trends and changes in the commercial trade of fish, wildlife, 
and wildlife products. Our Division of Scientific Authority and 
Division of Management Authority use this information to assess the 
need for additional protection for native species. In addition, 
nongovernmental organizations, including the commercial wildlife 
community, request information from us that we obtain from FWS Form 3-
177.
    Businesses or individuals must file FWS Form 3-177 with us at the 
time and port where they request clearance of the import or export of 
wildlife or wildlife products. In certain instances, FWS Form 3-177 may 
be filed with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The standard 
information collection

[[Page 35445]]

includes the name of the importer or exporter and broker, the 
scientific and common name of the fish or wildlife, permit numbers (if 
permits are required), a description of the fish or wildlife, quantity 
and value of the fish or wildlife, and natural country of origin of the 
fish or wildlife. In addition, certain information, such as the airway 
bill or bill of lading number, the location of the fish or wildlife for 
inspection, and the number of cartons containing fish or wildlife, 
assists our wildlife inspectors if a physical examination of the 
shipment is required. This information collection is part of a system 
of records covered by the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552(a)).
    Title: Declaration for Importation or Exportation of Fish or 
Wildlife, 50 CFR 14.61-14.64.
    OMB Control Number: 1018-0012.
    Service Form Number: 3-177 and 3-177a.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion, whenever clearance is 
requested for an importation or exportation of fish, wildlife, or 
wildlife products.
    Description of Respondents: Businesses or individuals that import 
or export fish, wildlife, or wildlife products; scientific institutions 
that import or export fish or wildlife scientific specimens; government 
agencies that import or export fish or wildlife specimens for various 
purposes.
    Number of Respondents: 25,000.
    Total Annual Responses: 168,920. We estimate that 94,595 (56 
percent) will be electronic submissions and 74,325 (44 percent) will be 
hard copy submissions.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 28,379 hours. We estimate the reporting 
burden to average 14 minutes per response when completed by hand and 7 
minutes per response for electronic submissions.

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                                                                                 Average time/
                      Type of submission                          Number of         response       Total burden
                                                                  responses        (minutes)          hours
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Electronic...................................................           94,595                7           11,036
Hard Copy....................................................           74,325               14           17,343
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    Total....................................................          168,920  ...............           28,379
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    We invite comments concerning this information collection on: (1) 
Whether or not the collection of information is useful and necessary 
for us to do our job, (2) the accuracy of our estimate of the burden on 
the public to complete the form; (3) ways to enhance the quality and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize 
the burden of the collection on respondents. Comments submitted in 
response to this notice are a matter of public record. We will include 
and/or summarize each comment in our request to OMB to renew approval 
for this information collection.

    Dated: June 8, 2006.
Hope Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
 [FR Doc. E6-9672 Filed 6-19-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P